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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. club — for dancing
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rock — music
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — a group
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — certain
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. club — for golf
  17. rash — a series
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. bound — tied together
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a round shape

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