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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. clip — for paper
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — music
  5. land — to come down
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — to cut
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pop — soda
  17. suit — in cards
  18. clip — a video
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — a country
  21. season — in sport
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — of a tree

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