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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: roll · shower · pound · object · cue · chair · staff · clip

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. shower — to wash
  3. staff — employees
  4. object — an aim
  5. roll — a list
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cue — for pool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. object — a thing
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. staff — employees
  18. chair — a leader
  19. clip — for paper
  20. shower — rain
  21. pound — a weight
  22. object — to protest
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pound — for dogs

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