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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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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: clip · saw · wave · court · bound · jam · mate · cue

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. clip — to cut
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bound — certain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. court — of law
  8. mate — a friend
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bound — obliged
  19. court — for sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. court — of a king
  22. cue — a hint
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. clip — a video

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