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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. club — for dancing
  7. suit — to fit
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — to push
  10. club — for golf
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. row — to paddle
  14. clip — for paper
  15. press — newspapers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. press — a publisher
  22. clip — a video
  23. spell — magic
  24. club — a group

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