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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rush — hurry
  5. firm — a company
  6. cue — a hint
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fine — all right
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pop — soda
  16. firm — decided
  17. pop — music
  18. firm — steady
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. clip — for paper

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