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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mug — a cup
  10. scale — size or range
  11. clip — a video
  12. mark — a grade
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mug — a face
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mark — a trace
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mark — to pay attention

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