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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 124 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — to cut
  4. degree — an amount
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — for paper
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. field — a subject
  13. degree — temperature
  14. clip — a video
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — for sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — a container
  22. chip — for betting
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. ruler — a monarch

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