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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. race — a contest
  6. drill — army training
  7. clip — for paper
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. bore — to drill
  14. race — humankind
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. drill — a practice
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. charge — in control
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cell — in biology

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