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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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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. dip — to sink
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — a thing
  6. fall — the season
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — to protest
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. clip — a video
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. object — an aim
  18. dip — a sauce

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