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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kid — to tease
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kid — child
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — to breed

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