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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — in sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — for catching
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. clip — a video
  10. net — after costs
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — for paper
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fan — a supporter

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