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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. capital — money
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mug — a face
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mug — a cup
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — a city
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. capital — a big letter

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