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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — of law
  5. land — a country
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. suit — in cards
  10. tube — the underground
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — of a king
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. land — ground
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — a container
  17. court — for sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. clip — to cut
  20. staff — employees
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a skill
  23. staff — a stick
  24. craft — a handicraft

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