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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — for paper
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. swing — in golf
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bound — obliged
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bound — certain
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — to push
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — to breed
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — in sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. net — after costs
  21. mate — a friend
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — a publisher
  24. swing — music

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