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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — a song
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — to cut
  10. track — a path
  11. band — a music group
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. board — to get on
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pit — a hole
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. band — a ring
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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