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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rock — a stone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bound — certain
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rock — music
  12. land — to come down
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in biology
  16. land — ground
  17. clip — for paper
  18. swing — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. snap — to click
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bay — a horse colour

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