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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rule — government
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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