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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — to cut
  3. land — a country
  4. foot — a measure
  5. clip — a video
  6. swing — to play on
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — in golf
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. clip — for paper
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. race — the arms race
  17. land — ground
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — music

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