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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — a break
  7. present — a gift
  8. object — a thing
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. firm — decided
  11. rest — what's left
  12. firm — a company
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — steady
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rest — what's left
  18. present — there
  19. object — to protest
  20. ball — a dance
  21. clip — for paper
  22. present — the time now
  23. object — an aim
  24. ball — a great time

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