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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rush — hurry
  7. present — a gift
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. club — for dancing
  14. clip — a video
  15. club — for golf
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chip — to eat
  21. present — the time now
  22. club — a group
  23. present — there
  24. bay — a horse colour

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