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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.

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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kid — to tease
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — high quality
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bore — to tire
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fork — in a road
  19. kid — child
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bore — to drill
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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