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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — of ice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cap — a hat
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cap — a lid
  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