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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. field — farmland
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. drill — the tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mug — a cup
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — a face
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — army training
  20. field — for sport
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mug — to rob
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fan — a supporter

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