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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. object — an aim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rest — a break
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — a country
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — a video
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. object — to protest
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. object — a thing
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — ground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — a trainer

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