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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. object — a thing
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — the season
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rock — music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rock — a stone

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