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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pass — a permit
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — a video
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hand — help
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bound — obliged

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