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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — the time now
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — certain
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. season — of the year
  10. pit — a hole
  11. clip — to cut
  12. object — to protest
  13. clip — a video
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — a gift
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. object — an aim
  20. present — there
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. object — a thing

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