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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. clip — a video
  7. board — a committee
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — for paper
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. net — after costs
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tube — a container
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — for catching
  21. clip — to cut
  22. net — in sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. board — to get on

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