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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. band — a ring
  6. clip — a video
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. band — a music group
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. staff — employees
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cell — in biology
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — thin
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cell — in a prison

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