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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 120 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: bound · perch · pitch · arm · craft · ruler · chair · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bound — certain
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bound — obliged
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. craft — boats
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — a sports field

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