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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. club — for golf
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. clip — a video
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pit — in a race
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — for paper
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a ring
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. club — a group
  23. firm — a company
  24. club — for dancing

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