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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — the time now
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to click
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cell — a phone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. squash — the sport
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. jam — in traffic

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