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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.

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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: rest · kid · stick · lie · mate · nail · wake · clip

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kid — child
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lie — to recline
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rest — a break
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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