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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pop — to visit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cue — for pool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cue — a signal
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. drill — army training

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