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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cap — a hat
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — of ice
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cap — a lid
  20. clip — a video
  21. rash — a series
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pit — in a race
  24. foot — part of the body

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