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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. drill — army training
  7. bound — obliged
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. tube — a container
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — a practice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — a video
  15. tube — the underground
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mate — a partner
  24. clip — for paper

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