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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — to shout
  6. shower — rain
  7. roll — a cake
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. shower — to wash
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — a list
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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