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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mug — a cup
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mug — to rob
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to click
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rest — a break
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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