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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pop — soda
  3. fork — in a road
  4. last — finally
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. staff — a stick
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — a match
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pop — music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. last — final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. clip — a video

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