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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — a stone
  13. key — in music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — a video
  18. cell — a phone

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