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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 116 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lie — to recline
  4. staff — employees
  5. suit — to fit
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. suit — clothes
  14. row — a line
  15. suit — in cards
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. clip — to cut
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a quarrel

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