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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pass — a permit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. firm — decided
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. clip — a video
  12. firm — steady
  13. date — the fruit
  14. capital — a city
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. capital — money
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. firm — a company
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — a big letter

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