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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pit — a hole
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a music group
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. clip — a video
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — in a race
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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