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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. clip — a video
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. ground — the earth
  12. craft — boats
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fine — high quality
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — for paper
  24. land — to come down

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