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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — for catching
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bank — for money
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. game — wild animals
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — after costs
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. clip — to cut
  23. net — in sport
  24. bore — to tire

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