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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — to bear
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. track — to keep track
  9. season — in sport
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — a path
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a song

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