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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. game — a match
  3. present — the time now
  4. fall — to drop
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. present — there
  7. rest — a break
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — a video
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. clip — for paper
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fall — the season
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. present — a gift
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

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