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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chair — a leader
  3. clip — a video
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rock — a stone
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. hand — in cards
  15. clip — for paper
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rock — music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. leaves — lets stay

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