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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. clip — to cut
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bore — to tire
  6. clip — a video
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. land — to come down
  19. bore — to drill
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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