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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — certain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — there
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. present — the time now
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — for paper
  11. season — in sport
  12. fine — high quality
  13. present — a gift
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fine — all right
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — of the year

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