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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — a video
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lie — to recline
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. firm — a company
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kick — in football
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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