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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — to come down
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — for paper
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lie — to recline
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. land — ground
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bound — certain
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — a video
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pound — a weight

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