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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. mug — a face
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — all right
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bound — tied together
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — certain
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kid — child
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pop — music
  23. fine — a penalty
  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