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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rest — a break
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. roll — a list
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fine — all right
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fine — high quality
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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