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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — a position
  6. clip — a video
  7. present — there
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fall — the season
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ground — the earth
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of law
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  24. safe — out of danger

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