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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. clip — a video
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a line
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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