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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — to point toward
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a great time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rush — hurry
  16. face — to confront
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. clip — a video

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