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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — thin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. net — in sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — a video
  22. net — for catching
  23. bore — to drill
  24. safe — out of danger

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