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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — soda
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bound — certain
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pop — music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ruler — a monarch

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