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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. craft — a skill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. march — music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. row — a line
  14. press — to push
  15. clip — to cut
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. craft — boats
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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