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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ground — the earth
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ground — a position
  22. key — in music
  23. bound — certain
  24. mate — a partner

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