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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · clip · plane · mark · bat · lie · last · cabinet

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. last — finally
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mark — a grade
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — for paper
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. clip — a video

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