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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cue — a hint
  5. current — happening now
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. clip — to cut
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — music
  24. current — electric

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