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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fine — high quality
  6. land — ground
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fine — all right
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — to bear
  14. clip — a video
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — to come down
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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