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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mug — to rob
  3. roll — a cake
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. deal — to handle
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chest — a box

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