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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. board — to get on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. drill — army training
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — a cup
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. clip — a video
  23. board — a committee
  24. deal — an agreement

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