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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. race — the arms race
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — a video
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — for sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. court — of law
  11. race — humankind
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stand — to bear
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — the season
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pit — a hole
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. prune — to trim

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