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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. board — to get on
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bulb — for light
  8. board — a committee
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — a video
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — a song
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. clip — to cut
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bat — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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