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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. last — to go on
  7. clip — a video
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. clip — to cut
  10. foot — a measure
  11. toast — bread
  12. field — for sport
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — moving air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. foot — the bottom

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