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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — crushed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — part of the head
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a match
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — a kind of play

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