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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.

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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. clip — to cut
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — a hint
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cue — a signal
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — in music
  24. prune — to trim

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