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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — a grade
  11. band — a music group
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — a jug

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