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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. march — music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — a video
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. craft — a skill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. clip — to cut
  12. band — a ring
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. club — a group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a music group
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. craft — a handicraft

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