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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. spell — letters
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rash — a series
  10. mug — a face
  11. squash — to crush
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mug — a cup
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — hasty
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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