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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bound — obliged
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — happy
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — certain

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