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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. object — an aim
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. object — to protest
  5. staff — a stick
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rush — hurry
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. object — a thing
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — to hurry

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