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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 124 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. clip — a video
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mark — a grade
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — certain
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. snap — to click
  24. season — in sport

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