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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mug — a face
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. clip — a video
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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