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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 120 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: fine · mark · bay · stand · chair · racket · clip · cue

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fine — all right
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mark — a trace
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cue — a hint
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chair — a leader
  24. racket — for tennis

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