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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. clip — a video
  5. bore — to tire
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — soda
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bore — to drill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pop — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mug — to rob

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