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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stock — goods
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a trace
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. drill — a practice
  19. perch — the fish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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