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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. race — a contest
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. race — humankind
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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