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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. race — a contest
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — obliged
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — for paper
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. clip — to cut
  11. object — a thing
  12. bound — tied together
  13. object — to protest
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. object — an aim
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — crushed
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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