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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — a thing
  7. craft — boats
  8. object — to protest
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — the fish
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. craft — a skill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — obliged
  19. object — an aim
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — to cut

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