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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: bay · suit · prune · pitcher · deal · march · chair · clip

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. clip — a video
  3. chair — a leader
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — to cut
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. suit — in cards
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. clip — for paper
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. march — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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