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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. roll — a cake
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kid — to tease
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. season — of the year
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — high quality
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — size or range
  17. kid — child
  18. roll — a list
  19. fine — all right
  20. scale — in music
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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