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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — a video
  6. ground — the earth
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. board — to get on
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. lean — thin
  24. safe — out of danger

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