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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. kick — in football
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pop — soda
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. content — the amount
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — a trail
  24. content — happy

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