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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — a video
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. staff — a stick
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fork — in a road
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — in sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. spell — letters
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. season — to add flavour

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