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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. charge — a price
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rash — a series
  8. fall — to drop
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rash — hasty
  14. charge — in control
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — for paper
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bowl — a football final
  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