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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. clip — a video
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. craft — boats
  23. clip — for paper
  24. straw — a straw man

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