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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mug — a face
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. file — a tool
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mug — to rob
  18. spring — of water
  19. file — a document
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. file — a line of people

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