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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. craft — a skill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. court — for sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. court — of a king
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. foot — a measure
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. craft — boats
  18. sharp — clever
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — a video
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. leaves — of a tree

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