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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. snap — to click
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pop — soda
  5. season — of the year
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. object — to protest
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pop — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pop — to visit
  19. object — a thing
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. object — an aim
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bank — for money
  24. ruler — for measuring

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