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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cue — a hint
  3. can — a tin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. shower — to wash
  14. saw — the tool
  15. foot — a measure
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — for pool
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ground — the earth
  20. shower — rain
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. ground — crushed

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