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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — a series
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — of the year
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — for golf
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — a group
  18. clip — a video
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. leaves — lets stay

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