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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. last — finally
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kick — in football
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lean — to bend
  9. last — to go on
  10. cap — a lid
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. last — final
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lean — thin
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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