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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — a video
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — for paper
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — the sport

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