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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — magic
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — a short time
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — letters
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. squash — to crush
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. snap — to click
  19. fine — all right
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. fine — a penalty

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