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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. net — in sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — to rip
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mate — a friend
  23. march — music
  24. mate — a partner

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