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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. content — happy
  4. club — for golf
  5. object — an aim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. object — to protest
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pass — a permit
  13. content — the amount
  14. root — of a plant
  15. object — a thing
  16. club — a group
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. content — videos and posts

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