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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — a list
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. roll — a cake
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mate — to breed

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