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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. clip — for paper
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bound — certain
  7. object — to protest
  8. file — a tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. file — a document
  11. season — of the year
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. object — a thing
  16. file — a line of people
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. object — an aim
  19. bound — obliged
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. net — in sport

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