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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rash — a series
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. clip — a video
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stock — goods
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kid — child

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