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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — for paper
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — a video
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stem — to come from
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kid — to tease
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — child
  19. sharp — clever
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. clip — to cut
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stem — of a plant

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