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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bass — low music
  3. court — of law
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — clothes
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chip — to eat
  9. staff — employees
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. clip — a video
  13. staff — employees
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — for sport
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chip — for betting
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bass — the instrument

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