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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. race — humankind
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. press — a publisher
  13. clip — a video
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. present — the time now
  16. date — the fruit
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — there
  24. date — on the calendar

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