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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 124 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. bound — tied together
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mug — to rob
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — a position
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mug — a cup
  13. file — a tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ground — crushed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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