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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — a contest
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stand — to bear
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. sharp — exactly

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