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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. content — happy
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. race — the arms race
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. board — a committee
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — a video
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. board — to get on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — the amount

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