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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: season · clip · ruler · bound · wind · pitch · chair · bear

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — of the year
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — in sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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