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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. board — a committee
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. chest — a box
  5. clip — to cut
  6. suit — clothes
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — humankind
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — to get on
  17. bound — tied together
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — obliged

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