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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — in a road
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pass — a permit
  19. clip — a video
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rule — a law
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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