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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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. last — to go on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. band — a music group
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — finally
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. band — a ring
  11. race — a contest
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — a break
  17. race — humankind
  18. last — final
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rest — what's left
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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