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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hand — help
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pit — a hole
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. pit — in a race
  14. file — a tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — in cards
  21. clip — to cut
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. hand — 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