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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. staff — a stick
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — for paper
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mark — a trace
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — a grade
  19. clip — to cut
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. clip — a video
  24. court — of law

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