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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. drill — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — a video
  9. capital — a city
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — money
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cue — a signal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cue — a hint
  17. drill — army training
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cue — for pool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — a safe

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