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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kid — child
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. toast — bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. squash — the sport
  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