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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — the month
  4. content — happy
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — for paper
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chip — for betting
  18. object — to protest
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — to cut
  23. content — the amount
  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