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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cold — an illness
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. clip — a video
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. perch — the fish
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cold — not warm
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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