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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. clip — a video
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — to crush
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — a signal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. squash — the sport
  22. club — a group
  23. cue — for pool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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