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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cue — a hint
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cold — not warm
  12. swing — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cue — for pool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — an illness
  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