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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: game · nail · bear · object · season · jam · clip · mark

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — to cut
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. clip — a video
  14. season — in sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. object — to protest
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. game — a kind of play

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