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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. band — a music group
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. clip — to cut
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. lash — an eyelash

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