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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spring — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spring — the season
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. net — in sport
  10. clip — for paper
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — a video
  14. can — to be able to
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. clip — to cut
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. spring — a coil
  24. jam — in traffic

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