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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — an injury
  14. charge — a price
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pound — a weight
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. charge — in control
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. clip — for paper
  22. swing — music
  23. bound — obliged
  24. sharp — clever

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