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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — of your body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — in music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. scale — size or range
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. staff — employees

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