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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stock — shares
  4. mug — a face
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stock — goods
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — child
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — in a road
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. clip — a video
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. leaves — of a tree

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