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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. club — a group
  3. clip — a video
  4. last — finally
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. club — for golf
  7. kick — in football
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hand — help
  16. club — for dancing
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. last — to go on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. clip — for paper
  23. craft — boats
  24. last — final

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