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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — a trace
  4. toast — bread
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — child
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — a video
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. charge — in control
  14. mark — a grade
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bore — to tire
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. charge — electricity
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to drill

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