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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a lid
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — a stick
  14. row — to paddle
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. suit — in cards
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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