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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a face
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — a video
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hand — help
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mug — a cup

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