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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — for paper
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. root — the cause
  12. file — a tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fine — high quality
  17. root — of a word
  18. clip — a video
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. file — a document
  23. toast — bread
  24. fine — all right

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