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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pit — a hole
  3. object — to protest
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — a cup
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chair — a leader
  9. drill — the tool
  10. root — of a plant
  11. drill — army training
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — a video
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bass — low music
  21. mug — a face
  22. object — a thing
  23. mug — to rob
  24. object — an aim

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