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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. perch — the fish
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — help
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. can — a tin
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — a container
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rash — a series

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