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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bound — certain
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rock — music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bound — tied together
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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