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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — for paper
  6. season — in sport
  7. object — an aim
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rest — what's left
  10. object — to protest
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — of water
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. object — a thing
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rest — a break

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