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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.

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

Word bank: clip · board · last · jam · pit · straw · nail · tear

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — final
  9. tear — from crying
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — finally
  18. tear — to rip
  19. clip — to cut
  20. last — to go on
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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