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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. clip — a video
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chest — a box
  6. rock — a stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rock — music

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