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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. suit — clothes
  6. hand — help
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — employees
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. suit — to fit
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — hasty
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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