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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — a stone
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — wild animals
  5. perch — the fish
  6. field — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. field — a subject
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. suit — to fit
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — certain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. suit — in cards
  23. field — farmland
  24. suit — clothes

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