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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — a video
  8. can — to be able to
  9. race — humankind
  10. clip — for paper
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — the fruit

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