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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. spring — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — of water
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mug — a face
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — size or range
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. drill — the tool

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