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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. hand — help
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. current — electric
  10. date — the fruit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. current — of water
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mug — to rob
  15. current — happening now
  16. mug — a face
  17. deal — to handle
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a dance
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. deal — an agreement

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