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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rock — music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. saw — the tool
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. race — a contest
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — a video
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rush — hurry
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rock — a stone

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