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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: jam · straw · arm · toast · fall · game · stand · lean

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fall — the season
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lean — thin
  17. game — a match
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — to bend
  24. toast — bread

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