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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a match
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — a video
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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