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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a skill
  5. clip — a video
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pop — soda
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fall — the season
  12. pop — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — boats
  15. staff — employees
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — a break
  19. fall — to drop
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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