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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bound — obliged
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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