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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a grade
  7. clip — a video
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — to cut
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — hurry
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a tool
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. file — a document
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — for paper
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — the tool

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