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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — a video
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — the fish
  12. charge — a price
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. charge — in control
  15. race — a contest
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — humankind
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. charge — electricity
  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