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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. track — a path
  3. race — humankind
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — for paper
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — the arms race
  12. clip — to cut
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. nail — on a finger

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