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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — magic
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bound — obliged
  7. land — to come down
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. land — a country
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spell — a short time
  18. clip — a video
  19. craft — boats
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spell — letters
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bound — tied together
  24. clip — for paper

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