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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. squash — the sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pit — in a race
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pit — a hole
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — a tin
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. clip — a video
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spell — letters

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