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

Word bank: clip · hand · jam · board · bear · bay · last · rush

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. board — a committee
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — to go on
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. hand — help
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. clip — for paper
  20. board — to get on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. board — a flat piece

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