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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. object — a thing
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — a break
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. object — to protest
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. content — happy
  14. clip — a video
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. object — an aim
  24. pitch — completely

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