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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. suit — clothes
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. drill — army training
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — child
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pit — in a race
  24. arm — a part of something

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