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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. race — the arms race
  3. row — a line
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — happy
  12. clip — a video
  13. content — the amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. race — humankind
  24. safe — out of danger

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