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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. clip — to cut
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. clip — a video

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