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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lean — thin
  6. mug — a face
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rule — a law
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fork — in a road
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — a video
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spring — of water

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