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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — a video
  3. object — to protest
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. swing — to play on
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — low music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. sharp — clever
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — to cut
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bass — the fish
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bass — the instrument

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