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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. last — finally
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. last — final
  14. mine — for digging
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. last — to go on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. swing — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — to recline

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