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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pass — a permit
  4. row — a line
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pop — soda
  8. clip — a video
  9. rest — a break
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pop — music
  23. row — to paddle
  24. clip — to cut

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