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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — a country
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bass — low music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lean — thin
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bay — a horse colour

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