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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cap — a hat
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bound — certain
  17. pop — to visit
  18. land — a country
  19. race — a contest
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — before a funeral

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