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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. object — an aim
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cue — for pool
  7. object — a thing
  8. cue — a hint
  9. object — to protest
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — a video
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mug — a face
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — to cut
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — in the ear

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