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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stand — to bear
  4. craft — boats
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. drill — a practice
  7. land — a country
  8. craft — a skill
  9. drill — the tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. land — to come down
  15. drill — army training
  16. clip — a video
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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