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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. clip — to cut
  3. land — a country
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — a video
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — to tease
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. present — there
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spell — magic
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. present — a gift
  23. spell — letters
  24. bore — to drill

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