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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. drill — army training
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mark — a grade
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ball — a great time
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — a series
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cell — a phone

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