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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. object — a thing
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. lean — thin
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the fish
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. clip — a video
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. object — to protest
  22. deal — to handle
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. clip — for paper

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