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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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Word bank
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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. race — a contest
  9. mate — a partner
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chest — a box
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a friend
  19. race — humankind
  20. chest — of your body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. clip — a video
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mate — to breed

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