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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ground — a position
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — a video
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — electric
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. current — happening now
  21. rule — government
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lie — to recline

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