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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cold — not warm
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — a video
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cold — an illness
  10. clip — for paper
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — tied together
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — certain
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. drill — army training
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. clip — to cut

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