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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — a video
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. drill — army training
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. craft — boats
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. clip — to cut
  16. craft — a skill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. drill — a practice
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — a match

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