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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. craft — a skill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — boats
  11. face — to point toward
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer

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