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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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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: bay · last · tube · pop · clip · mark · mug · staff

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. clip — a video
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. tube — a container
  9. last — to go on
  10. staff — employees
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — finally
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. clip — to cut
  19. staff — a stick
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. last — final

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