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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. clip — for paper
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — finally
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bound — obliged
  21. last — to go on
  22. clip — a video
  23. last — final
  24. cell — a phone

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