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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.

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 · game · plane · pitcher · clip · mouse · pass · kid

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. clip — to cut
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kid — child

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