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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. board — a committee
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cue — a signal
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — obliged

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