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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bass — the fish
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fork — in a road
  5. suit — clothes
  6. present — a gift
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. land — a country
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — low music
  14. land — ground
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. present — there
  19. court — for sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bass — the instrument

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