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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — a video
  3. can — a tin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cold — not warm
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. scale — in music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. can — a tin
  14. file — a tool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. rock — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. clip — to cut
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. firm — steady

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