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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bound — certain
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bound — obliged
  7. clip — a video
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. clip — for paper
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pound — a weight
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mug — a face
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — a supporter

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