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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. suit — to fit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — clothes
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. pit — in a race
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. clip — for paper
  19. branch — a division
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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