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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — rain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bore — to drill
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. shower — to wash
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — for pool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bore — to tire
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. dip — to sink
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to click

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