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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. clip — to cut
  3. suit — clothes
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fine — all right
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. suit — in cards
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — a container
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mate — to breed
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — for paper
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fine — high quality
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — a video
  24. mate — a partner

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