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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chair — a leader
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — to get on
  11. bass — low music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rest — a break
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. rest — what's left

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