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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. file — a tool
  4. object — to protest
  5. file — a document
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. bound — obliged
  12. object — an aim
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. clip — a video
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. chair — a leader
  24. object — a thing

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