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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tear — to rip
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. bound — certain
  7. fall — the season
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitch — completely
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. drill — army training
  23. rule — government
  24. vault — a safe

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