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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. present — there
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hand — in cards
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — a practice
  19. present — the time now
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — a gift
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. drill — army training

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