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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. file — a document
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. file — a tool
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. file — a line of people
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. date — the fruit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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