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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: staff · bat · clip · tear · pass · mouse · mug · sharp

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — clever
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bat — the animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pass — to spend time

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