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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — a video
  6. degree — an amount
  7. row — a line
  8. season — in sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. degree — temperature
  13. clip — for paper
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. season — of the year
  17. fine — all right
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. degree — from a university

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