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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. club — a group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — a path
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. perch — the fish

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