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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. race — the arms race
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. field — a subject
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — humankind
  13. clip — a video
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lie — to recline
  17. field — farmland
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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