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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. land — ground
  14. present — there
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — music
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pop — soda

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