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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mug — a face
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bound — certain
  8. pound — a weight
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — a hat
  14. row — a line
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mate — a partner
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bound — obliged
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pound — for dogs

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