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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. staff — a stick
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — a series
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. last — final
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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