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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stand — to bear
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bound — certain
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bound — tied together
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. track — a song
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cap — of ice

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