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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — child
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rest — what's left
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — a video
  17. rest — a break
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. deal — to handle
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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