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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. present — the time now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — a path
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — happening now
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — electric
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. clip — to cut
  16. present — a gift
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kid — child
  19. current — of water
  20. present — there
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. track — to keep track
  23. clip — for paper
  24. track — a song

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