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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cue — a signal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pit — a hole
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — for pool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — child
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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