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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: clip · jam · court · bound · saw · press · row · bay

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — of law
  6. press — newspapers
  7. court — for sport
  8. clip — a video
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — to cut
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bound — obliged
  16. press — a publisher
  17. saw — the tool
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. press — to push
  22. clip — for paper
  23. court — of a king
  24. row — a line

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