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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — to rob
  6. net — for catching
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stem — to come from
  10. net — after costs
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kick — in football
  14. mug — a face
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mug — a cup
  19. file — a document
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — in sport
  24. rock — music

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