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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: ball · root · pass · mouse · toast · nail · clip · jam

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. root — of a plant
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. root — the cause
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. root — of a word
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. clip — a video
  24. nail — on a finger

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