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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 do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — letters
  3. chest — a box
  4. clip — a video
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a music group
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. can — to be able to
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — of your body
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spell — magic

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