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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 · bat · sharp · foot · game · craft · mark · wind

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. craft — a skill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. game — a match
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. clip — a video
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. clip — to cut

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