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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. branch — a division
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — a match
  5. clip — a video
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — completely
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — to recline
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bore — to tire
  20. snap — to click
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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