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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pop — to visit
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — soda
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bound — certain
  17. pop — music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — in a race

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