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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spring — the season
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — a cake
  8. spring — of water
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. roll — a list
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — a path
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. staff — a stick
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. spring — a coil
  24. staff — employees

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