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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bound — certain
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. court — of law
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stand — to bear
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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