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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. clip — to cut
  4. present — there
  5. bank — of a river
  6. game — a match
  7. clip — a video
  8. game — wild animals
  9. deal — to handle
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bank — for money
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bank — for money
  14. saw — the tool
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. clip — for paper
  18. present — the time now
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — the tool
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. present — a gift

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