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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. key — in music
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. can — a tin

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