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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. rock — music
  3. clip — a video
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kick — in football
  17. bound — obliged
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fork — in a road
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. clip — for paper
  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