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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bound — certain
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — to cut
  10. board — a committee
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitch — a sports field

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