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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kick — in football
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. roll — a list
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. game — wild animals
  16. roll — a cake
  17. present — a gift
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — a video
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stand — on your feet

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