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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — certain
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. ground — a position
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bound — tied together

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