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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. kick — in football
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — in music
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. lie — to recline
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bound — obliged
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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