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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. track — to keep track
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. clip — a video
  8. track — a path
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — a song
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. current — happening now
  15. mine — for digging
  16. craft — boats
  17. current — electric
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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