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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. drill — the tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. drill — a practice
  6. perch — the fish
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — for paper
  13. degree — temperature
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rock — a stone
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — to recline
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — army training
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bound — tied together
  24. perch — for a bird

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