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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. ground — the earth
  10. content — happy
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — a video
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mouse — the animal
  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