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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rash — hasty
  4. drill — the tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cap — a hat
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — a video
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. drill — army training
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — a skill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rash — a series
  24. mug — a cup

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