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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — for paper
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pass — a permit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. last — to go on
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — final
  14. foot — a measure
  15. clip — to cut
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. last — finally
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. clip — a video
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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