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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — employees
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. staff — a stick
  10. root — of a plant
  11. club — for golf
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. capital — money
  14. root — the cause
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. staff — employees
  21. club — a group
  22. capital — a city
  23. root — of a word
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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