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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cue — a hint
  3. clip — a video
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — a signal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — for paper
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. craft — boats
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — in sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — to cut
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. net — after costs
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. craft — a skill

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