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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spring — a coil
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — boats
  7. spring — of water
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — the season
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — for paper
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. craft — a skill
  18. staff — employees
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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