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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — final
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. clip — a video
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — finally
  21. kick — in football
  22. foot — a measure
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. clip — to cut

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