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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: racket · spell · fine · leaves · jam · mark · staff · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. clip — to cut
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. spell — letters
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. staff — employees
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. mark — a trace
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — a short time
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spell — magic
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. clip — for paper

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