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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fall — to drop
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pop — soda
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rest — a break
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — the season
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. suit — to fit
  24. wind — moving air

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