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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bound — tied together
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — a coil
  5. clip — for paper
  6. face — part of the head
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — after costs
  9. suit — clothes
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — for catching
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — a video
  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