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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. firm — decided
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spring — a coil
  14. firm — steady
  15. fork — in a road
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. firm — a company
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — a series
  21. clip — a video
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — of ice

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