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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. clip — for paper
  3. board — a committee
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bound — tied together
  6. board — to get on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — a measure
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. firm — a company
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. object — an aim
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bound — certain
  16. capital — money
  17. bound — obliged
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — a city
  22. firm — steady
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. clip — a video

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