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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — to paddle
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — a video
  19. last — finally
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — final
  23. drill — army training
  24. plane — a 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