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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. craft — a skill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — a video
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fall — the season
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mark — a trace
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. drill — army training
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. roll — a list

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