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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — a leader
  8. game — a match
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. clip — a video
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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