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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — to wash
  10. current — electric
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wind — moving air
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. staff — a stick
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. pit — a hole
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — in a race
  21. roll — a list
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. roll — on a roll

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