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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. ball — a dance
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chip — to eat
  10. net — in sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. net — after costs
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chip — for betting
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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