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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — clever
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wind — moving air
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. key — the most important part
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. key — in music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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