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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. clip — a video
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cell — a phone
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — to come from
  23. suit — in cards
  24. chest — a box

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