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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. branch — a division
  3. lie — to recline
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — there
  6. ground — crushed
  7. last — to go on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — the time now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — a video
  15. last — final
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. present — a gift
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. clip — to cut

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