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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. drill — the tool
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — for paper
  8. drill — army training
  9. race — humankind
  10. can — a tin
  11. track — to keep track
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — hurry
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — a video
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. rush — a thrill

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