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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. tear — to rip
  3. clip — for paper
  4. current — of water
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ground — a position
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. current — electric
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — in football
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ground — crushed
  14. clip — a video
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tear — from crying
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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