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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. charge — electricity
  3. perch — the fish
  4. clip — a video
  5. sharp — clever
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. charge — in control
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — a price
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — exactly

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