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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — steady
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. scale — in music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — to breed
  15. firm — a company
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. firm — decided
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — a line
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. snap — to click

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