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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. march — the month
  5. suit — in cards
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. row — a line
  18. march — the month
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — music
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. row — a quarrel

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