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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a city
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. arm — part of the body

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