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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — the amount
  4. mug — a cup
  5. capital — a city
  6. clip — a video
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — a group
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. content — happy
  13. pop — music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. clip — for paper
  16. club — for golf
  17. mug — to rob
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fine — all right
  20. capital — money
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mug — a face
  24. rush — hurry

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