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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — certain
  3. shower — rain
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — the underground
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — to confront
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. last — to go on
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — to point toward
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — obliged
  20. can — to be able to
  21. face — part of the head
  22. clip — a video
  23. last — final
  24. clip — for paper

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