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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — in football
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cue — for pool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tear — to rip
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rush — hurry
  24. clip — a video

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