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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. clip — a video
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. ground — a position
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cap — a lid
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ground — the earth
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — in football
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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