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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cue — for pool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cue — a signal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. file — a tool
  20. clip — a video
  21. file — a document
  22. clip — for paper
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — completely

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