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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · march · jam · fine · plane · straw · clip · arm

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fine — all right
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. clip — for paper
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — a video
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — a lid
  24. arm — part of the body

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