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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. face — part of the head
  10. toast — bread
  11. rest — a break
  12. clip — a video
  13. kick — in football
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to confront
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — for paper
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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