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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. suit — to fit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. suit — in cards
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. key — for a lock
  8. date — the fruit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. suit — clothes
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fall — the season
  17. roll — a cake
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. snap — to click
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fall — to drop
  23. roll — a list
  24. fall — to drop

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