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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. firm — steady
  3. chest — a box
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — decided
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — for paper
  17. firm — a company
  18. cue — a signal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — tied together

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