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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. kid — to tease
  6. race — the arms race
  7. march — music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — magic
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — a video
  24. kid — child

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