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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. face — to point toward
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. squash — to crush
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. clip — for paper
  7. press — to push
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. toast — bread
  10. face — part of the head
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. press — a publisher
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. face — to confront
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. clip — a video
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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