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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. season — of the year
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a great time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — in sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fork — in a road
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ball — a round shape

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