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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. charge — a price
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — a video
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — help
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. hand — in cards
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. charge — in control
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pitcher — a jug

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