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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ground — the earth
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bound — certain
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. present — a gift
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — for paper
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lie — to recline
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — tied together
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — the time now
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. ground — a position

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