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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 124 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. suit — in cards
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hand — help
  11. clip — for paper
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. craft — boats
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. suit — to fit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bound — certain
  23. suit — clothes
  24. fork — in a road

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