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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
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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: spell · nail · suit · clip · rush · field · squash · ground

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. field — a subject
  3. suit — in cards
  4. spell — a short time
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — magic
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. suit — clothes
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spell — letters
  19. ground — a position
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — the sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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