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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. craft — boats
  4. cold — not warm
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bass — the fish
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bass — low music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — high quality
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fine — all right
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cold — the Cold War

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