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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. clip — a video
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — for catching
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — a practice
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — in sport
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a dance
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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