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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — a video
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rash — hasty
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kid — child
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. firm — decided
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fine — high quality

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