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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — a company
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — rain
  10. clip — to cut
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bark — to shout
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bulb — for light
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. hand — in cards
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — a video

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