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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · last · cell · bay · perch · chair · clip · mate

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cell — in biology
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. last — to go on
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wake — a trail
  11. last — finally
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — a leader
  24. last — final

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