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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — tied together
  12. charge — a price
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. charge — in control
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — certain
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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