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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — electric
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. tear — from crying
  10. track — a path
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — to wash
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. track — to keep track
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — rain
  24. straw — dry grass

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