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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bound — obliged
  3. clip — for paper
  4. present — there
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rest — a break
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. present — the time now
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — certain
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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