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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cue — for pool
  3. clip — for paper
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. object — to protest
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. object — a thing
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — a video
  13. cold — not warm
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. pass — a permit
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. object — an aim
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cold — an illness

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