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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — army training
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kick — in football
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chest — a box

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