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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · bore · pitcher · sharp · jam · file · foot · straw

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. file — a document
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bore — to drill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. straw — dry grass

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