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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bound — obliged
  11. clip — for paper
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — all right
  18. court — of law
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — for sport

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