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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — employees
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — a country
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chest — a box
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rest — a break
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chest — of your body
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chest — of your body

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