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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · rule · bound · pound · ball · stick

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rule — a law
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rule — government
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bound — certain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — a video
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. clip — to cut

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