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

Word bank: mug · kid · can · ball · clip · firm · staff · present

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mug — a face
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. staff — employees
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — a video
  10. present — there
  11. mug — a cup
  12. can — a tin
  13. firm — decided
  14. staff — a stick
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mug — to rob
  17. present — a gift
  18. can — to be able to
  19. firm — steady
  20. clip — to cut
  21. present — the time now
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — child

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