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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. clip — a video
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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