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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. chair — a leader
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mug — a face
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rock — music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — moving air

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