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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hand — help
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mate — to breed
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mark — to pay attention

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