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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. club — a group
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. plane — a tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. club — for golf
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. club — for dancing
  16. clip — a video
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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