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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — a publisher
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — to push
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — child
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. racket — for tennis

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