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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — a face
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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