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

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. drill — a practice
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — for paper
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — for betting
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — army training

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