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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. clip — a video
  3. bound — tied together
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fine — all right
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fine — high quality
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. roll — a list
  15. wax — to grow
  16. toast — bread
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bound — certain

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