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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. present — the time now
  8. club — for golf
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — thin
  15. fork — in a road
  16. staff — a stick
  17. roll — a list
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lean — to bend
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — there
  24. fork — to eat with

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