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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pop — soda
  4. last — to go on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. suit — clothes
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pop — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — to handle
  22. clip — a video
  23. suit — to fit
  24. rest — what's left

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