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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: game · pass · racket · nail · rush · trunk · present · clip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — hurry
  19. present — a gift
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pass — a permit
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — the time now

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