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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — clothes
  6. band — a music group
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lie — to recline
  10. suit — in cards
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. suit — to fit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — tied together
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bound — certain

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