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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. object — to protest
  16. ground — a position
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. object — a thing
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ground — crushed
  23. object — an aim
  24. fall — the season

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