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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — there
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. net — in sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. present — a gift
  11. clip — to cut
  12. present — the time now
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — a video
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. staff — a stick

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