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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rock — music
  4. clip — a video
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. present — a gift
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rock — a stone
  13. present — the time now
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — to tire
  18. present — there

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