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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — steady
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. firm — a company
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — decided
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. file — a tool
  24. tear — to rip

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