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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — obliged
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pop — music
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. key — the most important part
  14. clip — a video
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bound — certain
  20. ground — a position
  21. key — in music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. key — for a lock

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