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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.

Make a worksheet

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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rash — hasty
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a face
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rash — a series
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bass — low music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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