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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — a video
  4. firm — decided
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. firm — steady
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — to cut
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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