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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. degree — an amount
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pop — music
  6. clip — a video
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — of water
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rush — hurry
  24. clip — for paper

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