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

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pit — a hole
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — a video
  13. club — a group
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitch — completely
  16. club — for golf
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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