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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — a line
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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