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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — in music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — to handle
  8. current — of water
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. current — electric
  11. saw — the tool
  12. current — happening now
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kid — child
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kid — to tease
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. nail — on a finger

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