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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rash — a series
  6. object — to protest
  7. clip — a video
  8. pop — soda
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rash — hasty
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pop — music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bound — certain

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