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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. firm — steady
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. capital — money
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mark — a grade
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cap — of ice
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bound — obliged
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a lid
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. firm — decided
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cap — a hat

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