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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — in music
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — a video
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. clip — to cut
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — to come from

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