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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bound — certain
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. firm — decided
  10. clip — a video
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. capital — money
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a match
  18. firm — a company
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. firm — steady
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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