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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — a video
  3. craft — boats
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rest — a break
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. craft — a skill
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. clip — for paper
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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