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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — to keep track
  5. clip — a video
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — child
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. track — a song
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — in a road
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. track — a path
  22. staff — a stick
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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