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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — a video
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — in music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lie — to recline
  19. swing — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. swing — in golf
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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