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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — for catching
  6. last — to go on
  7. clip — to cut
  8. last — final
  9. net — after costs
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. bound — obliged
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — finally
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — certain
  24. clip — for paper

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