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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. clip — to cut
  5. deal — to handle
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. capital — money
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wake — a trail
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. capital — a city
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — a video
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mouse — the animal

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