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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: staff · chair · bay · pop · bound · clip · present · content

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. present — the time now
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bound — certain
  9. pop — music
  10. present — there
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pop — soda
  13. present — a gift
  14. clip — a video
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. staff — a stick
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a leader

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