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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. clip — for paper
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pound — a weight
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cell — a phone
  23. clip — a video
  24. foot — a measure

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