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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. object — an aim
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — a position
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cue — a hint
  9. ground — the earth
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — certain
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bound — tied together
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — to protest
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. object — a thing
  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