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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. race — the arms race
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rush — a thrill

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