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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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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: plane · bound · squash · clip · nail · bass · pit · chest

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — tied together
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bound — certain
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — obliged
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — in a race
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — a tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. squash — to crush
  24. nail — on a finger

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