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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. clip — for paper
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cell — in biology
  7. present — a gift
  8. charge — electricity
  9. season — of the year
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. clip — a video
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. present — the time now
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — there
  21. cell — a phone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — with an edge

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