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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bound — certain
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — a song
  9. spell — letters
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pit — in a race
  13. last — final
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. clip — to cut
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — magic
  19. clip — a video
  20. face — to confront
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. track — a path
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spell — a short time

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