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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. tear — from crying
  3. clip — a video
  4. lie — to recline
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. staff — employees
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — to rip
  12. craft — a skill
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — to cut
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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