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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — a video
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. clip — for paper
  9. spring — a coil
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a cup
  18. clip — to cut
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mug — a face
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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