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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. clip — for paper
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. squash — to crush
  9. clip — a video
  10. key — for a lock
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. clip — to cut
  16. key — in music
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. key — the most important part
  21. snap — to click
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. season — in sport
  24. kid — child

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