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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. clip — to cut
  7. land — ground
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mug — a face
  10. file — a tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — a country
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. land — to come down
  19. staff — employees
  20. mug — to rob
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. staff — a stick
  24. file — a document

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