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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. suit — clothes
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — to fit
  6. press — newspapers
  7. hand — help
  8. file — a document
  9. last — finally
  10. file — a line of people
  11. press — to push
  12. last — final
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — a publisher
  15. file — a tool
  16. mug — a cup
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. clip — a video
  19. hand — in cards
  20. craft — a skill
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mug — a face
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mug — to rob

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