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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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468
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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fork — in a road
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — money
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mug — a face
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. capital — a city

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