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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 124 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. key — in music
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. net — after costs
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. craft — boats
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — the animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. net — for catching

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