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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bass — low music
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pass — a permit
  16. clip — a video
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fork — in a road
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fork — to eat with

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