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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — to keep track
  5. staff — a stick
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cap — of ice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a hat
  11. clip — to cut
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. staff — employees
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. track — a song
  17. net — for catching
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — in sport
  21. club — a group
  22. net — after costs
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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