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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. staff — employees
  8. pit — in a race
  9. club — for dancing
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — a group
  13. clip — for paper
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. stock — shares
  18. staff — a stick
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — a video
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stock — goods
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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