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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cue — for pool
  3. race — humankind
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fall — the season
  6. object — an aim
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — to protest
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. clip — for paper
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. clip — a video
  22. race — a contest
  23. object — a thing
  24. cue — a hint

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