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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. race — humankind
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. land — to come down
  11. clip — a video
  12. lie — to recline
  13. clip — to cut
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — to crush
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. land — a country
  22. race — a contest
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — a stick

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