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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — of water
  4. clip — to cut
  5. spring — the season
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — finally
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — a face
  14. row — a line
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. clip — a video
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. row — to paddle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — final

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