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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: jam · clip · vault · tear · suit · pop · chest · pit

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — of your body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chest — of your body
  10. suit — in cards
  11. vault — a safe
  12. suit — to fit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chest — a box
  22. clip — a video
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a hole

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