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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kid — to tease
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mug — a cup
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. fall — the season
  11. mug — to rob
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kid — child
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mug — a face
  21. bore — to drill
  22. face — to confront
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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