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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. craft — boats
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — soda
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. clip — a video
  24. pop — music

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