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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cap — a hat
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. net — for catching
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bound — certain
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — in sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pound — a weight
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mug — a face
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — part of the body

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