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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pop — soda
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — child
  6. press — to push
  7. file — a tool
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. press — a publisher
  17. swing — music
  18. clip — for paper
  19. file — a document
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. clip — a video
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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