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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stand — to bear
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. content — happy
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — a safe

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