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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. squash — the sport
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — a video
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bank — of a river
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. bank — for money
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fine — all right
  23. bank — for money
  24. bowl — to roll

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