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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. clip — a video
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pop — soda
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. plane — a tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. clip — for paper
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — a skill
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pop — music

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