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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mate — to breed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rest — a break
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. suit — clothes
  8. charge — in control
  9. court — of a king
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — a video
  14. court — for sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. court — of law
  17. charge — a price
  18. mate — a partner
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — electricity
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. clip — for paper
  24. suit — in cards

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