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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bound · calf · cell · mark · suit · hand · racket · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — help
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bound — tied together
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. suit — to fit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cell — a phone
  18. suit — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cell — in biology

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