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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mark — a grade
  3. current — happening now
  4. clip — for paper
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mark — a trace
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. present — a gift
  11. current — of water
  12. rest — what's left
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pit — a hole
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rest — a break
  17. present — the time now
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pit — in a race
  21. present — there
  22. current — electric
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the 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