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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. charge — in control
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. charge — electricity
  15. clip — a video
  16. rock — music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — a safe
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chair — a leader

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