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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. object — to protest
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. clip — for paper
  11. snap — to click
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — a video
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. clip — to cut

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