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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. object — an aim
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. object — a thing
  6. mark — a trace
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. object — to protest
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stem — to come from
  11. track — a song
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. clip — a video
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. hide — to keep secret

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