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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. net — after costs
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — for catching
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — child
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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