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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a ring
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mate — a partner
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — to cut
  10. race — humankind
  11. clip — for paper
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — a friend
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. clip — a video
  21. race — the arms race
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. race — a contest

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