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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bore — to drill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rule — a law
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. track — to keep track
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rule — government
  22. track — a song
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — rain

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