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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — a video
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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