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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: rush · jam · cold · clip · bay · bear · wind · rash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cold — not warm

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