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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — in sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — a video
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. perch — the fish
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. net — after costs
  16. cold — not warm
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — for catching

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