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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. clip — a video
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bore — to tire
  8. clip — for paper
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — all right
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lean — thin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. can — a tin
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — to drill

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