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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rash — hasty
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. kid — child
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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