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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. object — a thing
  8. press — newspapers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. object — to protest
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. object — an aim
  20. cell — in biology
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. press — to push
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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