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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. toast — bread
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — magic
  12. clip — a video
  13. court — of a king
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. club — for golf
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — of law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fall — the season
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. club — a group
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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