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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. bound — certain
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — farmland
  9. rash — a series
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rash — hasty
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rock — a stone
  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