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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — certain
  3. mate — a friend
  4. firm — steady
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. firm — decided
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — for paper
  15. perch — the fish
  16. shower — rain
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. firm — a company
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mate — to breed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bound — obliged
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — to wash

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