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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wake — a trail
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rest — a break
  5. bark — to shout
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spring — the season
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — of water
  18. track — to keep track
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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