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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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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: pop · clip · last · chair · staff · spell · bowl · mark

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — soda
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pop — to visit
  9. staff — employees
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — a stick
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — letters
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. last — to go on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bowl — a dish

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