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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rule — a law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wake — a trail
  12. craft — boats
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rule — government
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. clip — a video
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — to cut

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