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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — thin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — government
  11. race — the arms race
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. hand — help
  15. race — a contest
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — in cards
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. race — humankind
  24. spring — of water

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