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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — a video
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hand — in cards
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hand — help
  11. clip — for paper
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. game — wild animals
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — a match
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mark — a grade
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. clip — to cut
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — part of the body

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