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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. clip — a video
  4. bound — obliged
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bound — tied together
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. clip — for paper
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in sport

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