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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. roll — a cake
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. field — for sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — farmland
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cue — a hint
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — a subject
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. cue — a signal

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