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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cold — not warm
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. clip — a video
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  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