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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — in cards
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. suit — clothes
  5. charge — in control
  6. ball — a dance
  7. charge — a price
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ground — a position
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. field — farmland
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ball — a great time
  22. can — to be able to
  23. suit — to fit
  24. ground — crushed

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