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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. current — of water
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. row — a line
  7. ball — a great time
  8. current — electric
  9. bore — to tire
  10. clip — for paper
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — happening now
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — a video
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ball — a round shape

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