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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. net — after costs
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — the cause
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — of a word
  9. charge — a price
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — a subject
  12. object — a thing
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — in control
  15. net — in sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — a video
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — farmland
  21. object — to protest
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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