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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bound — certain
  3. dip — to sink
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — letters
  6. perch — the fish
  7. roll — a cake
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. spell — magic
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spell — a short time
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — obliged
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — tied together
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. roll — on a roll

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