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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. saw — the tool
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — the most important part
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. key — in music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. present — a gift
  19. key — for a lock
  20. season — of the year
  21. foot — a measure
  22. present — there
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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