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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 124 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mug — a cup
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. row — a line
  7. craft — boats
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bat — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. board — a committee
  13. stock — goods
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. board — to get on
  17. toast — bread
  18. row — to paddle
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mug — a face
  22. stock — shares
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mug — to rob

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