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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. hand — in cards
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — the earth
  14. clip — a video
  15. ground — crushed
  16. perch — the fish
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ground — a position
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hand — help
  21. mine — for digging
  22. clip — for paper
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hide — to keep secret

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