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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. clip — for paper
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — to cut
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. clip — a video
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. board — a committee
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. arm — a part of something

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