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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bass — low music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. squash — the sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. squash — to crush
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — happy
  17. bound — certain
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — the amount
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — an injury

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