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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — what's left
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — a video
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bore — to tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. clip — to cut
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rest — a break
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. date — the fruit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — employees
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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