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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mug — a face
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — a series
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — to visit
  11. clip — a video
  12. march — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pop — soda
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. plane — an aircraft

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