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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. game — a match
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — in music
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — gave birth

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