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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 120 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 ________________ to happen.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — for paper
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ground — a position
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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