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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bound — obliged
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — to push
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — tied together
  9. board — to get on
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — for paper
  13. press — a publisher
  14. board — a committee
  15. lie — to recline
  16. snap — to click
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — to breed
  19. content — the amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. press — newspapers
  24. clip — a video

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