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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — for sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — a company
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — army training
  10. lean — thin
  11. drill — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — to bend
  15. firm — decided
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — farmland
  23. firm — steady
  24. clip — a video

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