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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — to play on
  3. roll — a list
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. swing — in golf
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. roll — a cake
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. swing — music
  19. fine — all right
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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