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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · spell · bat · last · ruler · bear · row · straw

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spell — letters
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. last — final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bear — the animal
  13. last — finally
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. spell — magic
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. row — a line

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