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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.

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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — a hole
  3. race — a contest
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. object — to protest
  13. squash — to crush
  14. clip — a video
  15. squash — the sport
  16. object — an aim
  17. kick — in football
  18. race — the arms race
  19. clip — for paper
  20. race — humankind
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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