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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — to wash
  7. clip — a video
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mark — a grade
  10. track — a path
  11. shower — rain
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — for paper
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. track — a song
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. march — music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. clip — to cut

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