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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · rest · cold · cap · firm · mouse · key · clip

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. key — for a lock
  5. firm — a company
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — decided
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cold — not warm
  14. key — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — what's left
  19. firm — steady
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rest — a break
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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