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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rule — government
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chip — to eat
  9. season — in sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to click
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — for betting
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — of a tree

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