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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ball — a dance
  3. clip — a video
  4. drill — army training
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. drill — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a great time
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — a practice

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