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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. spring — the season
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — in football
  13. cell — a phone
  14. spring — of water
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — a video
  22. fine — high quality
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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