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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — tied together
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. charge — a price
  16. clip — a video
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cap — of ice
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — to cut

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