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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — rain
  3. lean — thin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — tied together
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. toast — bread
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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