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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lean — thin
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cap — a lid
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cap — of ice

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