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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lean — to bend
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cue — for pool
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — a signal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. scale — in music
  11. rock — music
  12. march — the month
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lean — thin
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rock — a stone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cue — a hint
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — employees

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