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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cue — for pool
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cue — a hint
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chest — of your body
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chest — a box
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — all right
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — to crush

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