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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — for paper
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. drill — army training
  8. swing — to play on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. swing — in golf
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. swing — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. drill — a practice
  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