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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · kid · clip · mouse · saw · lie · rush · racket

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — a video
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lie — to recline
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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