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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pop — music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. season — of the year
  8. clip — a video
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pop — to visit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. row — to paddle
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — the animal

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