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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mug — a face
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fall — the season
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — to rob
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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