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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. clip — a video
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tube — a container
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mark — a grade
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mark — a trace
  22. degree — temperature
  23. track — a path
  24. arm — part of the body

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