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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. charge — a price
  3. swing — to play on
  4. can — a tin
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. can — to be able to
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. saw — the tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. dip — to sink
  18. can — a tin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. swing — music
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — for paper

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