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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fall — to drop
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. court — of law
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — in sport
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. net — after costs
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. object — a thing
  17. court — of a king
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fall — the season
  20. object — to protest
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. object — an aim
  23. net — for catching
  24. court — for sport

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