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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. clip — a video
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a line
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — to bear
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. clip — for paper
  20. deal — to handle
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chair — to sit on

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