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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: clip · bay · mark · pit · bass · bear · land · staff

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — a video
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pit — a hole
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. land — a country
  16. pit — in a race
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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