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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mug — a cup
  3. scale — in music
  4. present — a gift
  5. race — humankind
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stock — shares
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. race — the arms race
  13. clip — a video
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mug — a face
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — goods
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bear — the animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — a contest

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