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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · roll · pitcher · craft · drill · degree · face · cell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. drill — the tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — a skill
  10. face — to confront
  11. cell — a phone
  12. clip — for paper
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — to cut
  21. degree — temperature
  22. drill — a practice
  23. degree — from a university
  24. craft — boats

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