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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — a grade
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. sharp — clever
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — the season

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