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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pop — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bound — certain
  7. kid — child
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — soda
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. present — there
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. band — a ring
  20. clip — a video
  21. present — a gift
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — to visit
  24. present — the time now

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