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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — for paper
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. season — of the year
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. season — in sport

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