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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pop — soda
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pop — music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pop — to visit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a ring
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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