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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — a video
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — certain
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a lid
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — to cut
  14. snap — to click
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cap — a hat
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cap — of ice
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bound — obliged
  24. saw — the tool

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