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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cold — an illness
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bulb — for light
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. object — to protest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bass — low music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cold — not warm
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cue — a signal
  23. object — a thing
  24. cue — for pool

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