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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bound — certain
  3. face — to point toward
  4. present — the time now
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. face — to confront
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kid — child
  17. face — part of the head
  18. clip — to cut

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