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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. clip — a video
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bound — certain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. game — a match
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. clip — for paper
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mug — to rob
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — a cup

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