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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — a match
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — obliged
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — for paper
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lie — to recline
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — wild animals
  23. clip — to cut
  24. patient — a sick person

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