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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: key · clip · net · drill · fan · craft · land · present

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — the tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — the time now
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — a country
  13. present — there
  14. land — ground
  15. net — after costs
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. present — a gift
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — for catching
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — in sport
  22. key — in music
  23. clip — for paper
  24. drill — army training

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