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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — rain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. clip — a video
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. racket — for tennis

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