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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 120 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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bound — certain
  10. pop — to visit
  11. clip — a video
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. race — a contest
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pop — music
  19. track — a path
  20. race — the arms race
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lie — to recline

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