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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: chest · dip · straw · calf · chair · clip · bound · bowl

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — for paper
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. clip — to cut
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bound — obliged
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — to sink
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — certain

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