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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. clip — a video
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pound — a weight
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rock — music
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rock — a stone
  11. craft — boats
  12. press — to push
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. press — a publisher
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bound — certain
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. jam — a tight spot

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