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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. track — a song
  3. cap — of ice
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — in cards
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. track — a path
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — help
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com