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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — of ice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. toast — bread
  9. deal — to handle
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cap — a hat
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. swing — music
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. swing — in golf

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