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

Word bank: degree · fall · deal · stick · present · foot · jam · straw

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fall — the season
  8. present — a gift
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — from a university
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. foot — a measure
  17. degree — an amount
  18. deal — to handle
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. degree — temperature
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fall — to drop

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