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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. can — to be able to
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fine — high quality
  8. root — the cause
  9. fine — all right
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kick — in football
  13. wake — a trail
  14. root — of a plant
  15. can — a tin
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. object — to protest
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — an aim
  20. root — of a word
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — before a funeral

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