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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — the earth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — a line
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — a position
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. clip — to cut
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. row — to paddle
  24. plane — a 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