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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chair — a leader
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fine — high quality
  6. face — to confront
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. fine — all right
  14. scale — in music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — a video
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bank — for money
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — to sit on
  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