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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mug — to rob
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — tied together
  18. craft — boats
  19. hand — help
  20. march — music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bound — certain

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