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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. craft — boats
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. rock — music
  10. last — finally
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. land — a country
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. face — part of the head

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