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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: ground · jam · toast · pit · clip · pop · fan · mark

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pit — in a race
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. toast — bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pop — soda
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pop — music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. mark — a grade

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