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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. clip — a video
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — the cause
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. root — of a word
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mug — to rob
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — of a plant
  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