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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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cue — a signal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — a video
  6. staff — a stick
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — employees
  14. cue — for pool
  15. current — electric
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. row — a line
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — to bear

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