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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. 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. clip — to cut
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. present — the time now
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. net — for catching
  18. 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