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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bound — certain
  6. mug — a cup
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — farmland
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — to cut

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