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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. game — wild animals
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. clip — a video
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. snap — to click
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tear — to rip
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bound — certain
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — a match
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. clip — to cut

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