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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rush — hurry
  7. clip — a video
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — a path
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. clip — for paper
  13. roll — a list
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitch — completely
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bank — for money

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