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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pop — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — to visit
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — a video
  24. cold — an illness

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