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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — in music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — there
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — size or range

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