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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. scale — in music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. object — a thing
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — to protest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chest — a box
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. scale — size or range
  18. object — an aim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. jam — a tight spot

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