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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — a line
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. craft — boats
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spell — letters
  14. craft — a skill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. clip — a video
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spell — magic

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