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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. staff — employees
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. perch — the fish
  5. lean — thin
  6. race — a contest
  7. staff — employees
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. board — a committee
  10. lean — to bend
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — the arms race
  18. clip — for paper
  19. staff — a stick
  20. clip — to cut
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rush — hurry
  23. clip — a video
  24. race — humankind

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