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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: bear · coach · clip · staff · game · last · rush · chair

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bear — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. clip — to cut
  14. game — a match
  15. clip — for paper
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chair — a leader

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