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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hand — help
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rush — a thrill

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