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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. race — the arms race
  4. scale — size or range
  5. object — a thing
  6. sharp — clever
  7. object — to protest
  8. race — a contest
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. race — humankind
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. clip — for paper
  18. object — an aim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. clip — a video
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hide — animal skin

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