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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fine — all right
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — a video
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. clip — for paper
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — to drop

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