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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. clip — a video
  8. land — to come down
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rock — a stone
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — a country
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — ground
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. toast — bread
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. sharp — clever
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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