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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · pit · row · clip · pound · squash · arm · bound

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pound — a weight
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bound — tied together
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pit — in a race
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. sharp — exactly

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