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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — a video
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. court — of a king
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spell — magic
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cue — a signal
  21. staff — employees
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spell — letters
  24. clip — for paper

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