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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — a lid
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bound — obliged
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. land — to come down
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. land — ground
  24. rock — a stone

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