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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — letters
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — a hat
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. present — there
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cap — of ice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — a gift
  23. land — to come down
  24. spell — magic

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