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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — a phone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pop — soda
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. clip — a video
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — a permit

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