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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — in a road
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. object — an aim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — to protest
  10. pit — in a race
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chest — a box
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. object — a thing
  20. stand — to bear
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — in sport

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