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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — to breed
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lean — thin
  12. clip — a video
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bound — obliged
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bound — tied together

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