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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — all right
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. object — a thing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rock — music
  15. object — an aim
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — to protest

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