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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. stock — a soup base
  3. tear — to rip
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — a video
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. current — of water
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. current — happening now
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — a series
  21. current — electric
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. tear — from crying
  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