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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · squash · nail · coach · jam · cell · bass · fine

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. squash — to crush
  4. clip — for paper
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bass — low music
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fine — high quality
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — a video
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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