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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. kid — child
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — to tease
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. straw — dry grass

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