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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lean — thin
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — shares
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. march — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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