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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 116 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're almost out of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bound — tied together
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — of water
  7. net — after costs
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bound — obliged
  12. key — for a lock
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — for catching
  16. pop — to visit
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — the most important part
  20. net — in sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — in music
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — the season

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