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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pit — a hole
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. club — for golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. club — a group
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — a video
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pound — a weight
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — for dogs

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