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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. suit — in cards
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. clip — to cut
  11. staff — a stick
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. suit — clothes
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. clip — a video
  18. scale — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — in sport
  23. mine — for digging
  24. shower — to wash

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