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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. craft — boats
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mug — a face
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. craft — a skill
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wind — moving air
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mug — to rob
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. clip — to cut

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