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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — the most important part
  12. clip — to cut
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. key — in music
  24. stock — goods

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