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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bat — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chair — a leader
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. toast — bread
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. lean — thin
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. clip — a video
  23. lean — to bend
  24. roll — a list

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