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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. ball — a dance
  4. race — the arms race
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chest — a box
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. race — a contest
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mark — a trace
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. chest — of your body
  19. race — humankind
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — for paper
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. deal — a big deal

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