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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. clip — a video
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — help
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. content — happy
  15. clip — for paper
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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