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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. firm — a company
  3. club — a group
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mug — to rob
  8. club — for golf
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — a video
  14. mug — a cup
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. club — for dancing
  18. clip — for paper
  19. staff — a stick
  20. firm — steady
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — a face
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — a trainer

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