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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kick — in football
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — a skill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. craft — boats

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