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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cap — a lid
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. clip — to cut
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — certain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — a video
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — a safe
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mate — to breed

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