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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a grade
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — money
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stand — to bear
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — a straw man
  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