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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — happy
  4. clip — a video
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. staff — employees
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. shower — rain
  16. staff — a stick
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — employees
  21. content — the amount
  22. clip — for paper
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. squash — the sport

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