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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kid — child
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chest — of your body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — to crush
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pound — a weight
  19. staff — employees
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chest — a box
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. date — on the calendar

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