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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. clip — a video
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — in a road
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bore — to tire
  17. row — a line
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — to paddle
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spring — the season
  24. fork — a garden tool

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