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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. hand — help
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. race — humankind
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — of the year
  13. tear — from crying
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. race — the arms race
  17. spring — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. season — in sport

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