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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. craft — a skill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cap — a hat
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. file — a tool
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. clip — for paper
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. suit — to fit
  17. clip — a video
  18. cap — of ice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — clever
  21. craft — boats
  22. file — a document
  23. cap — a lid
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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