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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — clothes
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. last — finally
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spring — of water
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. suit — to fit
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. last — final
  16. spring — a coil
  17. suit — in cards
  18. present — a gift
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — there
  21. spring — the season
  22. rule — government
  23. kick — in football
  24. saw — the tool

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