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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — boats
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pitch — completely
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cue — a signal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hand — help
  24. clip — for paper

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