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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — army training
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cap — a hat
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. clip — to cut
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mark — a trace

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