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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — a video
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — certain
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road

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