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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — to come from
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — a tin
  11. press — a publisher
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. press — to push
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — clever
  24. can — to be able to

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