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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — clever
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — the season
  24. kid — child

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