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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bore — to tire
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rock — a stone
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chip — for betting
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mark — a grade
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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