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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 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chip — for betting
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chip — to eat
  13. clip — a video
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. clip — for paper

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