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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. drill — army training
  6. hand — in cards
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. drill — a practice
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — a trail
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. hand — help
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. current — of water
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. current — happening now
  20. snap — to click
  21. current — electric
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. drill — the tool

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