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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pop — to visit
  8. charge — in control
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pop — soda
  11. clip — a video
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pop — music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cold — not warm
  22. march — music
  23. charge — a price
  24. chair — a professorship

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