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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — a group
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — final
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. clip — a video
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. charge — in control
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — finally
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — for dancing

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