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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. hand — help
  4. mug — a face
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mug — a cup
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mug — to rob
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kid — to tease
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fine — all right
  24. wound — an injury

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