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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — a video
  17. hand — help
  18. cap — of ice
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mine — for digging
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bear — the animal
  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