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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. fine — high quality
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lean — thin
  11. mug — a cup
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fine — all right
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. sharp — clever
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mug — to rob
  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