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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. plane — a tool
  3. object — an aim
  4. march — the month
  5. object — a thing
  6. clip — to cut
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. clip — for paper
  15. object — to protest
  16. mug — a cup
  17. dip — to sink
  18. clip — a video
  19. drill — a practice
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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