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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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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cap — of ice
  7. clip — to cut
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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