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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ground — the earth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bound — certain
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — the amount
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — to recline
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. content — happy
  24. hand — in cards

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