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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — a permit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. degree — an amount

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