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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — a practice
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitch — completely
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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