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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — to cut
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — of a king
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. court — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. court — of law

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