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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rule — a law
  4. clip — a video
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. press — to push
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rule — government
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — to cut
  18. race — a contest
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. race — the arms race
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rash — hasty
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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