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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — a friend
  5. charge — electricity
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — in control
  12. kid — to tease
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — a video
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. charge — a price
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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