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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. drill — the tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. clip — a video
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rush — hurry
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a cup

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