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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · club · chair · pass · clip · fine · stick · net

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — a group
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. clip — to cut
  7. net — for catching
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — in sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chair — a leader
  18. club — for golf
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fine — high quality
  22. net — after costs
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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