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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. cap — of ice
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cap — a lid
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. row — a line
  17. date — the fruit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — to paddle
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. cap — a hat

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