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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 124 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. clip — a video
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wax — to grow
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. clip — for paper
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chair — to sit on

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