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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bear — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kick — in football
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bound — certain
  18. tear — from crying
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bound — obliged
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tear — to rip

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