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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitch — completely
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. perch — the fish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — hurry
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. band — a music group
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. nail — on a finger

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