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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — the fish
  15. charge — a price
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — a video
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. charge — in control
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — for betting
  24. clip — for paper

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