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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — the time now
  4. clip — a video
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — a committee
  9. kid — child
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. present — a gift
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pop — to visit
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pop — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kid — to tease
  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