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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — a video
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — certain
  8. rule — a law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — after costs
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — shares
  22. rule — government
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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