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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. root — of a plant
  12. drill — a practice
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. chair — a leader
  19. root — the cause
  20. stock — goods
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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