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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — for sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. row — a line
  10. clip — to cut
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — farmland
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. object — an aim
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. object — a thing

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