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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pit — a hole
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — in cards
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — to be able to
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pit — in a race
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — lets stay

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