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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rock — music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — finally
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. ground — crushed
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cabinet — ministers

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