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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a line
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — to come from
  24. clip — for paper

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