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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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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: track · chair · clip · pitcher · bound · roll · ground · tear

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. roll — a cake
  9. ground — a position
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a path
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tear — from crying
  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