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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — the sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. clip — a video
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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