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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — to cut
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tube — a container
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — a contest
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. race — humankind
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. clip — a video
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. squash — to crush

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