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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. clip — to cut
  4. object — a thing
  5. board — to get on
  6. clip — for paper
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. clip — a video
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. object — to protest
  14. board — a committee
  15. bound — obliged
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. object — an aim
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — tied together
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  24. board — a flat piece

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