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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: saw · last · rock · fine · clip · rash · jam · can

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rash — hasty
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fine — high quality
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. rock — music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. last — finally
  16. can — to be able to
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — a video
  20. rash — a series
  21. can — a tin
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — the tool

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