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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — to cut
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bound — certain
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — in a race
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. content — the amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. content — happy
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ruler — a monarch

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